Toy house



OOOOOOOO WITNESS: 2%) 1 L. SVHANSEN.

TOY HOUSE.

APPLICATION FILED 05015, I9I9. I

Patented May 11, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- I INVENTOR. Lows S.Hansen ATT ORNE Y LOUIS SUMNER HANSEN, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

TOY I-IOUSE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 11, 1920.

Application led. December 15, 1919. Serial No. 344,916.

T0 all 'whom imag concern:

Be it known that I, Louis S. HANsEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in rloy Houses, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to toys, and more particularly to a foldable house and means for transporting and protecting the same.

@ne of the main objects of the invention is to provide a foldable house and a case therefor so associated that when the case is opened the house will be extended and, when the case is closed the house will be folded so as to be completely contained thereby. A further object is to provide simple and efiicient means for securing the house in the case in spaced relation to the sides thereof, the spaces at the sides of the case being utilized for carrying sections of a fence, animals, trees, etc. Further objects will appear from the detailed description.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a side view of the case closed.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the same.

Fig. 3 is an end view, partly broken away, of the case open showing the house in exr tended position.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the same.

Fig. 5 is an end portion of the case closed partly broken away to put the house in folded condition.

Fig. 6 is a detail of the means for securing the house supporting boards in the case.

The case 1 is of box like structure being formed of two sections 2 and 3 the lower walls of which are connected by hinges 4. A'

supporting strip 5 is secured to the inner face of each end 6 of each of the sections 2 and 3. This strip supports a base board 7 which ts snugly in the interior of the case section, this base board being formed of two boards S and 9 connected by a fabric covering 10 secured to the upper faces thereof. The space beneath base board 7 is divided by longitudinal and transverse strips 11 into a plurality of compartments 12 which may be of any desired size or shape and are adapted to contain toys, animals, trees, etc., to be used for inclosing and decorating the space about the house 13 carried by the base 7. Each board 8 of the base 7 is provided at each end with a resilient latch 14 pivotedto the under face thereof and adapted to engage beneath strip 5, these latches and the strips coacting to detachably secure the inner boards 8 to the sections of the case, while permitting the outer boards 9 to be lifted so as to give ready access to compartments 12, these outer boards normally acting as covers for closing the outer compartments, as will be understood.

The house 13 includes sides 15 which are hingedly secured by hinges 16 to each end 17 of the house, this end being formed of two sections 17a which are connected at their inner edges by hinges 1S. Roof 19 of the house is formed of two sections 2O which are secured at their lower or cave portions by hinges 21 to sides 15 at the upper edges thereof, sections 2O being connected at their inner or upper edges by hinges 22. Preferably, though not necessarily, a piece of wood 23 representing the chimney is secured by a hinge 24 to one of the roof sections 20. Each side 15 is connected, at its lower edge by hinges 25 to the inner board 8 of base member 7. When the case 1 is opened or extended as in Fig. 3, the house 13 is also extended as illustrated, each section 17=L of end 17 being cut away at its central lower portion to provide an opening for accommodating the inner edge portions of the lower walls 1a of the case. When the sections 2 and 3 of the case are moved toward each other or into closed position, the ends 17 of the house fold inwardly between side walls 15 .which are moved into parallelism with the sections of base 7, the roof 19 extending upwardly, and chimney 23 being moved into substantial parallelism with the roof section 20 to which it is attached, the whole structure being thus folded by the act of closing the case so as to provide a compact bundle which readily fits between the sections of base 7, the house when thus folded being effectually protected by the case which provides ready means for transporting the house and the various ornaments placed within the compartments of each of the case sections beneath the base. As will be understood, the sections of the case are preferably,'though not necessarily, provided with clasps, as illustrated, for securing the case in closed position, and each section is further provided with a handle 26 for carrying the case. By turning the latch 14 into inoperative position, the base 7 together with the house may be, if desired, readily removed from the case and, by reversing this operation, the base and house may be easily suitable f secured in position Within the case so as to be operated by closing and opening thereof in the manner described.

As will beunderstood, the house instead of being formed of sections of board hinged together may, if desired, be formed from plates of sheet metal which are hingedly connected at their adjacent edges in any suitable or Well known manner. may be found advisable by experience to resort to slight changes in construction and arrangement in details of the invention Without departing` from the field and scope of the same, and I intend to include all such variations as fall Within the scope of the appended claims, in this application in which a preferred form only of my invention is disclosed.

IVhat I claim is:

l. In combination with a case comprising two hingedly connected sections, a house of foldable construction, and means for connecting said house to the sections of the case so as to be extended by the act of opening the case and folded by closing of the case so as to be positioned Within the same.

2. In combination With a case comprising two hingedly connected sections, a base board mounted in each of said sections, and a house of foldable construction connected to said base boards so as to be folded by closing of the case so as to be positioned Also, it A Within the same and extended by opening of the case.

3. In combination with ya .case consisting of two hingedly connected sections, a base consisting of sections mounted in the respective sections of the case in spaced relation to the outer Walls thereof yso as to form spaces for reception of decorations to be used in connection with a house, a house of foldable construction connecting .the sections of said base board so as to be extended by the act of opening the case and folded by closing of the case so as to be positioned Within the same.

4. In combination with a case consisting of tWo hingedly connected sections, a base formed of tWo sections mounted in the respective sections of the case and secured thereto, and a house consisting of hingedly connected sides and end members and a roof composed of sections hingedly connected together and hinged to the upper edges of the side members, the end members being foldable along their vertical centers, the transverse center of the house coinciding With the plane of the axis of the hinged connection between the sections of the case, the side members of the house being hingedly secured at their lower edges to the respective sections of the base board.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature.

LOUIS SUMNER HANSEN. 

